This is our 5th board from Nixy and we keep buying and recommending the to friends who buy them, love them and refer them to their own family and friends! We have various models and this is our third in the Newport line, starting with the G3 a number of years ago, that's still going strong.
I'll start this one by saying that it's SO refreshing to have a company, based in the US, who offers great support. We've always had a fast response to any question and a friendly voice at the other end of the line with any issue - great service!
The G5 has a few difference from the G4 and G3. For the first time, it's not always sold as a "kit", but that's a good thing because it can be less expensive and you don't have to pay for multiple of itmes you don't need. For example, we don't need any more hand pumps! We have electric pumps (one battery powered and one for the DC adapter in the car) so only need a single hand pump for a backup. Although I will say that when needed, the Nixy hand pump is nice becuase it has the 3 settings: 1 when starting, 2 when things get harder, then 3 to finish it off at the higher pressure.
The G5 is slightly narrower than the G3 and G4 (I think 1"). We can actually tell the difference. It's slightly less stable and took a moment to get the feel of it. It's only a slight difference though. The shape in the back is a little wider, which helps mitigate the difference and provide stability. The good part is that a narrower board is faster due to less surface area and thus less drag, so it's easier to keep up with other paddlers on the water. By comparison, we also have a Venice board, which is the widest and most stable of the board (they market it for those who want to do yoga!) but it's also a bit heaver and a bit slower as a result. So it's a tradeoff in both directions. The Venice makes a great board to loan to a guest who's being introduced to paddle boarding for the first time since it's the most stable.
The other big change is that the board only has 1 fin box instead of 3. But that's perfectly fine with me, as we stopped using the smaller side fins long ago anyhow. We tried with and without them multiple times and never felt like we had any better tracking with the side fins. And who knows, without those extra fin boxes sticking down into the wanter an inch, it's a tiny bit less drag, so I'd call that a good change.
The G5 also drops the little "paddle holder" on the side with the bungee and clip. It's another item that we never used, as it just wasn't all that useful and the paddle didn't hang well from it. So one more less item to drag in the water.
The G5 still has bungees on the top in the front and the back, which is one of the great featuers that makes them better than most boards on the market. We use them! Especially on longer trips where we carry a small lunchbox, drybag with gear, shoes, etc. etc. And all the extra D-rings on the board are great for clipping things like the kayak seats we sometimes clip on for longer paddles (don't forget the kayak blade paddle adapter if you like to sit and paddle too!).
The G5 doesn't have the carbon fiber side rails which, in theory, should make the board a little less ridgid, but I don't think we can tell the difference. But we're pretty light weight, so perhaps heavier people would see a little difference, hard to say.
Nixy always uses a nice large soft deck pad, and this model is no exception. So nice on the feet!
The carry handle is a little different on the G5. Instead of a removeable padded piece, the attached handle is now padded. On the plus side, it feels nicer than previous models. On the down side, it can't be removed to dry out when folding up the board (and you don't want to trap water in when storing). Still, I think I like it a little better. Either way it's better then the ones on cheap boards, making this easy to carry. Of course, the light weight of Nixy boards also makes them easy to carry and lift to thrown in or on a vehicle etc.
If purchasing any Nixy board, I also recommend the Nixy landing mat. They are nice for keeping the board clean while deflating, drying, and rolling back up for storage.
Lastly, I'll just comment on the designs of the boards. They are gorgeous! They get better each year. Check out how far they have come from earlier years, now with brighter, fuller graphics that even cover the bottom (which we often see when storing them inflated and leaning against the wall in the garage). It was hard to choose which one to go with.
Thanks again Nixy for another great board and great service.
